Senior BJP Leader and Punjab BJP Investor Cell Chief, Advocate Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal today unfolded a major racket by Private Polytechnic Colleges in Punjab in association with officials of Punjab StateTechnical Education and Industrial Training Board and All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE).
Punjab contributes maximum production of Wheat and Paddy across India despite acute power and labour shortage across state and adverse climatic conditions. Despite being the highest producer of Wheat and Paddy per hectare, the profits of the hard working Punjab farmer are getting diminutive. Reason, increased input costs, farmer today is bearing an additional daily brunt of Diesel to pump water from its Tubewells which is equivalent to Monthly Power subsidy given by the Punjab Government.
MCL Commissioner sits on 752 Cr Scam
Senior BJP Leader and BJP Punjab State Investor Cell Chief Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal today questioned the character and conviction of G.S. Ghumman, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana in 752 Crore “Advertisement Tax Scandal” and held him responsible for shielding corrupt and erring officials who milked the Municipal Corporation Ludhiana for past 6 years.
Grewal stated that Chief Minister Sd. Prakash Singh Badal ordered an enquiry into 752 Crore “Advertisement Tax Scandal” and entrusted Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, to investigate the fraud in a Sangat Darshan Programme organized at Sector 32, Chandigarh Road Ludhiana on 8th November, 2008. Grewal stated that he is traumatized to foresee that even after 3 months Commissioner had not bothered to start the investigation into the matter especially when Municipal Corporation is facing acute shortage of funds to kick start development of the city.
Grewal stated that Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and other Oil Marketing Companies in connivance with the Advertisement Mafia and Officers of Municipal Corporations of Punjab have installed Flex Hoardings over Petrol Pumps to advertise Products and Services of various Advertisers but till date they haven’t paid any Advertisement Tax applicable upon these Hoardings. There are over 68388 Retail Outlets all over India of which 5226 Retail Outlets are commissioned in Punjab. These Retail Outlets have erected Flex Hoardings with an average 1000 sq. feet advertising space apart from other advertisement spaces such as Glow Facia and Signages which means Advertisement Tax on 52,26000 sq feet advertisement space is fleeced by these Oil Companies and Advertisement Mafia. This further calculates to a whooping loss of over 125 Crores per annum to Punjab Government only. Considering an average age of meager 6 years of these hoardings, as most of them were installed during Captain Amarinder Singh’s regime this amounts to a loss of over 752 Crores to the state exchequer.
Grewal vowed to make bureaucracy responsible and added that he will question Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana about the progress of the investigation ordered by Chief Minister, Punjab on Thursday, 18th February, 2009 at 12.30 noon in front of media personnel and will ensure follow up of this mega fraud till it reaches its logical conclusion.
